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Our Printing Methods

LETTERPRESS

Letterpress is a historic printing method. Because our printing is done on antique printing presses, each piece that we print will be subtly unique. No two pieces are entirely identical, and letterpress printing is not an exact science. Subtle variations in inking, color, impression and position are to be expected. These small variations are part of what makes letterpress beautiful. Do you need to know more about letterpress right now? Learn more about hardcore letterpress at our parent company Boxcar Press, or read about our green printing practices.

LETTERPRESS INKS

Go ahead and change the letterpress colors on any wedding invitation design! Wondering what inks will best capture your style? We’re happy to advise. All of our 70+ letterpress inks are low-VOC and vegetable oil-based. Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are emitted gases that come from certain solids and liquids. They contribute to global warming and have adverse affects on human health, so low-VOC things are good things.

The colors below are digital approximations of our letterpress inks, but we all know letterpress is best experienced in person. Order samples and receive up to ten ink swatches, letterpressed on our cotton paper, with your sample order. You might also want to check out our envelope liner colors and our foil stamping colors. Changing the inks on your design is free! Custom inks are available for an additional cost.

Letterpress

Blind Deboss (no ink)

Black

Charcoal

Pewter

Pale Gray

Sand

Desert

Cream

French Vanilla

Camel

Fawn

Antique Gold

Taupe

Espresso

Umber

Olive

Hunter

Hazel

Fern

Clover

Spring Green

Chartreuse

Garden

Vine

Celadon

Sea-Side

Jade

Aquamarine

Pool

Sea Mist

Mediterranean

Surf

Atlantic

Powder Blue

Deep Blue

Cerulean

Cobalt

Navy

Prussian Blue

Cornflower

Light Lavender

Lavender

Regalia

Amethyst

Wisteria

Pansy

Aubergine

Raspberry

Fuchsia

Hot Pink*

Whisper

British Rose

Watermelon

Cardinal

Wine

Geranium

Cherry

Coral

Papaya

Sherbet

Shell

Dusty Pink

Rust

Mesa

Persimmon

Marigold

Light Peach

Amber

Champagne

Yolk

Day-Glo*

Lime-Aid*

Mustard

*indicates a neon ink – neon inks are not available for digital printing

FOIL STAMPING

Foil stamping is also known as “foil embossing” or “hot foil stamping”—it’s all the same thing, and this prized printing method allows us to create really breathtaking gold wedding invitations, or silver wedding invitations, or whatever shine your heart desires. You can mix letterpress and foil stamping in a single design; print your invitation in soft colored foils (tawny! frost! pearl!); or go two tone, mixing a gold matte foil with a gold shine foil for a truly stunning look. You can also combine foil stamping with digital printing on our new Smooth Cotton paper (read more about our digital printing below). Foil stamped invitations can be recycled like any paper, though we bet your guests may hang onto theirs as keepsakes.

We can print any of our wedding invitation designs in letterpress or foil stamping, though sometimes we may need to alter a design to make sure it looks amazing in foil. Both methods are done right here in our Syracuse, New York print shop on our vintage presses. We approach all of our printing with love, devotion, and enormously high standards. Note that foil stamping is a more expensive printing method than letterpress (though it’s worth it, trust us!), and the foil printing process requires an additional upcharge for rush turnarounds.

FOIL COLORS

Foil stamping uses a combination of heat, pressure, and metallic paper, which allows us to add a bit of shine to our designs. You can see examples of foil stamping on our wedding invitations. You can request swatches of our foil stamping colors when you order samples.

Foil Stamping

Pearl Shine

Silver Shine

Silver Matte

Gold Shine

Gold Matte

Tawny Matte

Copper Shine

Rose Gold Shine

Pink Shine

Fuchsia Shine

Red Shine

Blue Shine

Frost Shine

Indigo Shine

Purple Shine

Lilac Shine

Mint Shine

Forest Shine

Teal Shine

Digital printing

Digital printing is a modern printing method that allows for a wide array of colors. Unlike letterpress printing or foil stamping, where ink or foil is actually pressed in to our paper one color at a time, digital printing is flat, and can print multiple colors at the same time. Right now, digital printing is only available on our 1-ply, Bella Smooth Cotton paper.

We can print any of our wedding invitation designs digitally. You can combine digital printing with letterpress printing or foil stamping for a truly personalized piece — create photo save the dates, birth announcements, or holiday cards using this new printing method. Check out our guidelines for submitted photography.

You can see digital representations of our digital ink colors below. Custom digital inks are also available.

DIGITAL COLORS

Digital

Black

Charcoal

Pewter

Pale Gray

Sand

Desert

Cream

French Vanilla

Camel

Fawn

Antique Gold

Taupe

Espresso

Umber

Olive

Hunter

Hazel

Fern

Clover

Spring Green

Chartreuse

Garden

Vine

Celadon

Sea-Side

Jade

Aquamarine

Pool

Sea Mist

Mediterranean

Surf

Atlantic

Powder Blue

Deep Blue

Cerulean

Cobalt

Navy

Prussian Blue

Cornflower

Light Lavender

Lavender

Regalia

Amethyst

Wisteria

Pansy

Aubergine

Raspberry

Fuchsia

Whisper

British Rose

Watermelon

Cardinal

Wine

Geranium

Cherry

Coral

Papaya

Sherbet

Shell

Dusty Pink

Rust

Mesa

Persimmon

Marigold

Light Peach

Amber

Champagne

Yolk

Mustard

Design tips

Mix and match 1 and 2 color printing to keep costs down. You can print some pieces in 2 colors, and other pieces in 1 color (1 color pieces are less expensive). For instance, your invitation can have two inks while only using 1 ink on your reply card.

Turn a 2 color design into a 1 color design. Or you can take a 1 color design and print it in 2 colors if you want—it’s totally up to you!

Request a free design consultation. Not sure which ink combinations will best capture the style of your wedding? We offer free design consultations after you place your order, where you’ll have a chance to talk one on one with our designers about all of your invitation choices (or if you need help now, just ask!).

See a sample design in your top 3 color combinations. Send in a design request and let us know your favorite design, and what 3 color combinations you’d like to see that design in—we’ll email you images of that design in your colors within 1 business day. (you will have the opportunity to see additional color options once you’ve placed your order!